KUALA LUMPUR – France danced in the rain with a hard-earned 3-1 win against Spain to secure a spot in the final of the FIH Men’s Junior World Cup after a gap of 10 years.
The prelude to Les Bleus’ dominance unfolded with their roaring rendition of their national anthem La Marseillaise echoing through the Bukit Jalil National Hockey Stadium, giving goosebumps to the 600 fans who gathered for the semi-final clash last night.
Head coach Matthias Dierckens said that it was never easy for his side to defeat the Red Sticks as he touted them as the most experienced team in the tournament.
“It was a great win for us, and it’s not easy for us to defeat them as they have been displaying a high-paced gameplay since the beginning of the tournament using their experienced players.
“They were better than us in terms of speed, but we dominated them with our scoring techniques. Once again, our tactics of scoring the earliest have worked, and it has given our opponents a lot of pressure throughout the game.
“The fans played a wonderful role in cheering us up throughout the match, and a few of our home fans were also playing the music La Marseillaise, which helped my players to fight and win this match as warriors.
“It’s a proud moment for my boys and the entire nation of France. Now that we are in the final, we need to push ourselves and bring home this prestigious title to Paris,” said Dierckens in the post-match conference.
In contrast, Spain’s head coach Oriol Puig Torras voiced disappointment with his team’s composure and their tendency to surrender possession easily to their sixth-ranked opponents.
“I’m very disappointed with my boys as they were unable to handle the pressure given by the French side. Throughout this tournament, we were known for our fast-paced gameplay, but today, we played like a mediocre team.
“We were depending on too many aerial passes, and 90% of them didn’t reach the targeted areas, especially in the penalty box. We were easily pressured by the four, five French players in the midfield, and it affected our gameplay.
“We need to work harder in our next match and try to at least go back home with some dignity with the bronze medal,” said Torras.
France’s goals, courtesy of Brieuc Delemazure (2nd), Stanislas Branicki (33rd), and Louis Haertelmeyer (42nd), overshadowed Spain’s loan goal by Aleix Bozal in the 15th minute through a penalty corner.
France will take on Germany in the final on Saturday, while Spain will take on India in the third and fourth-place clash on the same day.
France’s best finish in the World Cup was in the 2013 edition in Lucknow, where they finished second. – December 15, 2023